Tucked away from the busy Avvai Shanmugam Salai in Ozhuginasery in Nagercoil is a heritage structure locally known as Chathiram. Constructed in the 1860s by the then Travancore King Vishakam Thirunal (May 19, 1837 – August 4, 1885) for the army personnel to take rest, the building, which is more than 160-years old, functioned as a fire service station and now accommodates the Economic Offences Wing and Fingerprint Bureau of the Kanniyakumari district.
As time and neglect have left the building damaged in many places and the roof is also in a bad shape, the Building Centre and Conservation Division (BCCD) of the Public Works Department (PWD), has launched a project to restore the building to its original look.
“The building, covering 2,443 square feet, exemplifies the architecture of the South Travancore. The total cost for the restoration project is ₹1.21 crore,” said S. Manikandan, Executive Engineer, BCCD.
The work started in May and 50 per cent of the work to reconstruct the roof with Mangalore tiles has been completed. Mr Manikandan said the restoration would be completed by May, 2024.
A conch mark (chanku), the symbol of the Travancore kings, is found on the top of the front portion of the building. The building, raised on a single stone with the Madras roofings and wooden reapers, has domes on two sides with a watch tower. The British have used it as a camp office.
A. K. Perumal, the author of Thenkumariyin Kathai, said poet and freedom fighter Sarojni Naidu had addressed a meeting on the campus. “Though it was a rainy day, the crowds remained unperturbed and listened to her. Her speech was translated by Congress leader Sivathanu Pillai,” he said.
When the Quit India Movement shook the country in 1942, freedom fighters in the district pelted the police stationed here with stones and dumped the utensils kept for cooking into a well.
